The Principality of Asturias has published a decree with measures to develop the national program to fight potato pests. It has also confirmed the subsidies that will be given to those affected (0.40 Euro per square metre of crops uprooted; up to 0.70 Euro for seed potatoes; the refund of any expenses to those running warehouses, and 0.30 Euro per kilo in the case of self-storage warehouses).
It has also banned the planting of potatoes in four of the councils affected (Vegadeo, Castropol, San Tirso and Taramundi) for a minimum of two years or until the eradication of the Guatemalan moth is officially confirmed. In three other municipalities where the potato pest was detected and a quarantine has been declared (Navia, Valdés and Cudillero), the ban on planting and the implementation of measures designed for the affected areas will not apply to the whole municipality, but only to the territories where the moth has been detected.
This policy is different to that adopted by the Government of Galicia, which has chosen to ban the planting in all municipalities, regardless of their degree of infestation, including in places such as Ribadeo, where many growers confirm they have never detected it.
Obligation to pull plants out
Asturias shares with Galicia a policy that will force producers to uproot (for their destruction) all existing potato plantations in the areas where the pest has been detected. Galicia has also banned the marketing of potatoes in bulk in areas affected by the pest and it will only be possible to sell products that have already been prepared and packaged for direct consumption. The Principality has also set a buffer zone where the monitoring and control measures are not as strict as in the areas where the moth has been detected.
